RAPID Penang’s on-demand passenger van service has recorded increasing demands from residents here.
Designed like the ride sharing apps such as Grab, the average daily ridership has reached 137 passengers, exceeding the initial target of 100 daily, according to Ku Jamil Zakaria, acting chief executive officer of the operator - Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd.
For the past decade, local response to Rapid Penang’s bus has been lukewarm despite various initiatives including free rides and upgrading amenities such as providing wifi services onboard the stage buses which traverse throughout the state.
But now, there is an encouraging uptake to its on-demand van service.
Launched last month in Air Itam, the service is picking up in demand where passengers can book via a Rapid Penang app and during a trial run since last year, it had served more than 26,000 passengers over the past seven months.
Ku Jamil Zakaria said in a statement that Rapid Penang plans to gradually deploy a total of 50 vans this year due to the encouraging response.
The on-demand service operates daily from 6am to 11pm and can be booked through the Kummute application.
Passengers can continue to enjoy a promotional fare of RM1 per trip, with cashless payment options available through:Pas Mutiara My50, OKU Smile Pass, debit/credit card
DuitNow QR or e-Wallet.
There are now also three additional routes introduced, which are the T110B – Gurney and Tanjung Bungah (6 vans), T710B – Sunway and Butterworth (6 vans) and T211B – Paya Terubong (1 van).
The existing route, T210B (Farlim and Air Itam), launched on August 1, 2024, will also be enhanced with two additional vans, bringing the total to four vans.
“This improvement is aimed at meeting high passenger demand and reducing waiting times from 17 minutes to 10 minutes, said Ku Jamil.
The smaller vans enable access to areas where larger buses have difficulty navigating narrow roads.
The Mutiara Pass initiative has been a resounding success since it was introduced by the Penang government in 2021, with 100,000 passes (worth RM3 million) allocated then.
The programme has been extended to this year, with state Infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari recently announcing a RM7 million allocation for 280,000 passes.
Rapid Penang also offers rapidMobility, an initiative to assist Penang residents with special needs by providing convenient and affordable travel options.
Passengers in wheelchairs can easily board the specially fitted rapidMobility vans, which are equipped with hydraulic lifts for safe boarding and disembarking.
The fare for the service in Penang has been set at RM7 per trip for two passengers (one passenger with special needs and one companion) since July 15, 2024.
Visit Rapid Penang’s official social media platforms or the website at www.myrapid.com.my for more information. - April 24, 2025.
